Update Electoral Roll, Car Registration, and Utility Accounts After Divorce in South Australia

Electoral Roll

Updating your electoral enrolment after divorce is straightforward and should happen as soon as your name or address changes. Enrolment is compulsory for eligible Australian citizens, and the AEC warns that failing to update can lead to removal from the roll and inability to vote.

Online. If you are already enrolled, update your enrolment through the AEC website. You can provide an Australian driver's licence number, Australian passport number, Medicare card details, Australian citizenship number, or have someone who is enrolled confirm your identity.

Paper form. Download and complete an Enrolment Form from the AEC website, sign it, and return it to the AEC.

If you've changed your address as part of the separation, update your enrolled address at the same time. Your electoral division determines which candidates appear on your ballot.

Vehicle Registration Transfer

If a vehicle registered in your former spouse's name is being transferred to you (or vice versa) as part of the property settlement, the transfer goes through Service SA.

Stamp duty exemption. Under Section 71CB of the Stamp Duties Act 1923 (SA), spousal transfers of motor vehicles arising from a relationship breakdown are exempt from stamp duty — but only if the transfer is backed by sealed Consent Orders or a Binding Financial Agreement. Transfers based on informal agreements attract standard stamp duty.

Process. Both parties complete the transfer section on the vehicle registration certificate. The receiving party takes this to a Service SA centre along with:

• Proof of identity
• The sealed Consent Orders or BFA (for the stamp duty exemption)
• Payment for any outstanding registration fees

If the vehicle's registration is in the name of one spouse and they've changed their name, update the name on the registration at the same Service SA visit using Form MR41 and the same linking documents used for the driver's licence update.

Insurance. Contact your car insurer immediately after the transfer. A vehicle registered in your name but insured in your former spouse's name (or vice versa) can create coverage problems. Update the named insured, the regular driver details, and the garaging address if it has changed.

Utility Accounts: Electricity, Gas, Water, Internet

Utility accounts in South Australia are held in one person's name, not jointly. The named account holder bears sole liability for all bills — even if both people lived in the household and used the services.

If you're the one moving out. Contact each provider (SA Power Networks for electricity, your gas retailer, SA Water, and your internet provider) to close or transfer the account. If you leave without doing this, you remain liable for ongoing usage charges and risk credit default listings if bills go unpaid.

If you're staying in the home. Contact each provider to transfer the account into your name if it's currently in your former spouse's name. Retailers typically require a new application with proof of identity and the property address. Ask whether the provider can treat it as a change of account holder rather than a new connection and what fees apply.

What to do first. Before contacting providers, audit all accounts attached to the property: electricity, gas, water, internet, landline (if any), and streaming services. Check which name each is under and whether any are on fixed-term contracts with early termination fees. It's cheaper to transfer a contract than break it.

Home and Contents Insurance

If you have a joint home and contents insurance policy, contact the insurer to either:

• Remove your former spouse from the policy (if you're keeping the property)
• Transfer the policy into your name alone
• Cancel the policy (if you're both moving out or the property is being sold)

Notify your insurer of any changes in occupancy. Insurance premiums and coverage terms can change when a property goes from a couple-occupied home to a single-occupant one, and failing to disclose the change could affect a future claim.

If the property was rented and you're the named tenant staying on, update the landlord and property manager as well. They'll need to amend the lease and may require a new bond or updated reference check.

The Right Sequence

These updates sit at the end of the post-divorce administrative sequence — after name changes at Service SA, the Passport Office, Medicare, and the ATO. Our South Australia After-Divorce Checklist maps the full sequence with fillable trackers for every account and registration change, so you cross each one off and nothing slips through.

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